PHY 3063 - Enriched Modern Physics - Spring 2019
Course Overview
| Instructor | Prof. Imre Bartos 2025 NPB Email: Use Canvas email | |
| Class lecture |
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2-3 period (8:30-10:25) in 1011 NPB |
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| imrebartos AT ufl.edu. Note that homework help is given during your discussion section and during office hours, not through e-mail. | ||
| Office hours | Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:55pm-1:45pm | |
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Textbook
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Modern Physics, 2nd edition by Randy Harris ISBN 978-1118061145 I also recommend looking at online reference books which have a wealth of material.
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About the course
PHY 3063 is a one-semester course providing an introduction to the history, basic theoretical concepts and major experimental results from the physical theories that emerged starting in the early 20th century. We will explore theoretical ideas and measurable phenomena in special and general relativity, waves and particles, quantum mechanics, atoms and molecules, phenomena connected to the statistical distributions of photons and electrons, and nuclear and particle phyiscs.
As part of the course you will learn why “scientific theories” are provisional and evolving, dependent on an interplay between theoretical reasoning and experimental measurement, constrained to be consistent with other theories and required to successfully pass a wide variety of experimental tests.
Grading scale: The grading scale is shown in the table below, based on 100 points.
| Grade | Points |
| A | 88 |
| A- | 83 |
| B+ | 78 |
| B | 73 |
| B- | 68 |
| C+ | 63 |
| C | 58 |
| C- | 53 |
| D+ | 48 |
| D | 43 |
| D- | 38 |
| E | <38 |
Grade components: Grade points are accumulated from exams, homework and attendance, as summarized in the table below.
| Source | Points |
| Homework (incl. bonus questions) | 20 |
| Midterm #1 | 15 |
| Midterm #2 | 15 |
| Final | 40 |
| Attendance | 10 |
| Total | 100 |
Exams: There are three exams, worth 70 points total. For any missed exams (illness, family emergencies), a makeup will be administered close to the end of the semester (date and time to be determined). On each exam you will be allowed one handwritten formula sheet (front and back). You should bring a calculator and extra scrap paper but work should be shown on the exam paper that we provide. Necessary physical constants will be given in the exam.
Homework: A number of assignments will be given, with each assignment typically being due 1 week from the time it was issued. Homework is due by 4:00PM on the due date in my mailbox (note that you should not wait until the last minute since the mailroom does not always close exactly at 4PM). Deductions for late homework are as follows: 25% (1 day), 50% (2 days), 75% (3 days), 100% (4 days). Some bonus questions will also be assigned, allowing you to get extra points. Because of the very limited grading resources, I will grade only a subset of problems that will not be disclosed in advance. You must turn in work for all problems.
Schedule: Dates for lecture topics, exams and homework are on the schedule page.
Academic Honesty: The UF Honor Code applies to all aspects of this course. It is mandatory that you report any possible infractions to your instructor immediately. The Honor Code reads as follows:
We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honesty and integrity. On all work submitted for credit by students at the University of Florida, the following pledge is either required or implied: "On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment."
Students with disabilities: Students requesting classroom accommodation for disabilities must first register with the Disability Resource Center. The Dean of Students Office will provide documentation to the student who must then provide this documentation to the instructor when requesting accommodation before an exam. Please print and fill out the Accommodated Test Request (ATR) Form, and return it to the Disability Resource Center (DCR) at least one week before the first exam. The Accommodated Testing Service (ATS) at DCR will administer all exams.
Required work
- This web site serves as the syllabus for the course. Each page on the web site has a link on the menu at left. You are required to read each of these pages. The web site is detailed and any policy questions you may have should be answered here.
- You are responsible for ongoing course work, which is described on the web site: reading the text for the assigned material, attending lecture, doing the weekly homework, attending discussion section and taking the quizzes, and taking the exams
Prerequisites
Firm knowledge of the following concepts from Physics 1 and 2 and proficiency in handling them is necessary for your success in this course.
- Kinematics, force, torque, conditions for equilibrium
- Newton's three laws of dynamics, circular motion
- Work, kinetic energy, potential energy, relation of force to potential energy
- Energy and momentum conservation
- Basic electromagnetic theory, wave motion, E&M waves
In addition the material from the following mathematics topics will be used routinely.
- Algebra, trigonometry, analytic geometry
- Calculus 1, 2 and 3 (including partial derivatives and multiple derivatives)
- Basic differential equations (corequisite, used mostly in QM)
Effective strategies for learning physics
From interviewing students we have found that the A to B+ students have better habits and spend more time on science courses than B and C students. In particular, they rarely miss class, do all the recommended homework problems and more, read ahead and study the material for several hours a week (not just before exams). Developing good habits at the start of the semester, before things get busy and you fall behind, will help you succeed.
A large fraction of your study time should be devoted to problem solving, which is essential to learning and cannot be replaced by mere listening and reading (think how we learn to bicycle, swim and drive). This is the reason we provide you a significant number of end-of-chapter questions and problems, web-based problems and quizzes.
The following strategies will help you to do well in the course:
- Keep up with the course. The best strategy for success is to stay up to date with the readings and homework. In particular, solving problems will improve your performance on exams and quizzes far better than memorizing formulas or cramming. A good rule of thumb is that you should be spending about 6-9 hours on the material outside of class.
- Attend lectures regularly. We cannot stress enough the importance of coming to class. Although you might not understand everything presented in lecture, you are unconsciously processing information that will serve you well later. Frequent class skipping contributes strongly to poor student performance.
- Read ahead before lecture. Even though you may not understand the chapter material, a cursory advance reading "primes" your brain to be receptive to the material when it is discussed in lecture or discussion.
- Ask questions. Your question is not stupid and is probably widely shared. We just hope that our answer isn't stupid. :-)